Not Applicable
Not Applicable.
The present invention relates to safety equipment for emergency personnel and, more particularly, to respirators.
Some of the most important vocations in our society involve controlling and remediating emergencies. These emergencies such as fires, hazardous substance spills and military operations, often require that individuals place themselves in close proximity to toxic liquids, dangerous airborne particulates and noxious gases. In addition, the environmental conditions at the sites of the emergencies are often inhospitable, if not extreme. The individuals who must encounter these toxic elements and harsh environmental conditions deserve the best protection achievable to permit them to carry out their vital duties with minimal risk to their safety.
Many of the dangers confronting emergency personnel are brought about by agents that affect the respiratory system. Smoke, toxic fumes, fomites and chemical/biological weapons usually attack the human body via the respiratory system. The primary mechanism to protect individuals against these agents is the gas mask or respirator, as it is known in the art. Respirators generally function to filter the air inhaled by the user to remove toxins. Efforts have been made to develop respirators to protect the integrity of the user""s respiratory system while also allowing the user to dispatch their duties with minimal discomfort and inconvenience.
Respirators, by their nature, require that the user""s face be substantially enclosed within an air-tight structure. This configuration protects the face, eyes, nose and mouth of the user from the external environment. Respirators typically include goggles or shields through which the user can see. Most importantly, though, respirators must have mechanisms that allow the user to breathe clean, toxin-free air. Such mechanisms may include an external clean air supply or a filter that removes harmful agents from the air as it is drawn into the interior chamber of the respirator.
The interior chamber defined by the user""s face and the dimensions of the respirator is a confined area prone to elevated temperature and humidity. It is well-known that a individual""s respiration accounts for a significant source of heat and moisture expiration from the body. Consequently, the user""s physiological respiration into the small interior chamber of the respirator creates a significant accumulation of heat and moisture directly in front of the face of the user. This heightened temperature and moisture environment manifests itself in several disadvantageous ways.
First, the heightened temperature of the interior chamber is quite uncomfortable to the user. Moreover, the natural heat expellation by the user is dramatically increased during the strenuous activities involved in emergency situations. As the user works harder and as the stress of the emergency increases, the heat expelled into the interior chamber also increases. What is an uncomfortable situation at rest becomes an unbearable situation during activity.
Second, the increased moisture content of the air in the interior chamber causes a great deal of fogging on the interior of the goggles or face shield. The fogging on the interior of the shield makes it difficult for the user to see and, correspondingly, makes it increasingly difficult for the user to carry out their important emergency functions. As the relative humidity increases in the interior chamber, condensation forms inside the respirator and moisture accumulates within the air-sealed chamber. Not only does condensate accumulate within the respirator, but perspiration from the user""s face caused from the extreme heat within the chamber also accumulates. As a result, a large volume of condensate and perspiration often settles in the lower regions of the respirator. The accumulated moisture occasionally finds its way to the air filtering mechanism of the respirator, which could greatly impede or defeat the air exchange needed by the user. If this occurs, the respirator becomes largely useless and the user is placed in serious peril.
Third, the combined effects of the elevated temperature and heightened humidity of the interior chamber of the respirator raises the overall body temperature of the user. Individuals who utilize respirators in emergency situations almost always wear external protective gear on their bodies. This external gear is necessarily waterproof and insulated against extreme temperatures. The external gear traps heat around the body and obstructs proper ventilation. It is well-known that the temperature of the head and face of a individual can greatly affect the overall temperature of the body. Thus, when the temperature of the face of the user increases during use of a conventional respirator, the overall temperature of the body of the user also increases and the external gear prevents adequate elimination of this heat. Elevated body temperatures can result in severe health consequences, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Untreated, these heat-related ailments can cause critical illness and, occasionally, death.
Conversely, while heat is the primary impediment to respirator use, some emergencies occur in cold environments, both natural and man-made. The above-detailed problems associated with elevated temperatures within the interior chamber of the respirator have corresponding drawbacks associated with depressed temperatures within the chamber. Cold air is more difficult to breathe and lowers the overall body temperature. Chilled air, as opposed to ambient or heated air, forms frost on the interior of the face shield or goggles, making it nearly impossible for the user to see. In these situations, the discomfort is no less severe to the user and the health implications are no less serious, including frostbite and hypothermia.
Therefore, there exists a compelling deficiency in the art for a system that would control the temperature and humidity within the interior chamber of a gas mask or respirator. The present invention addresses this deficiency and resolves it.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system that controls the temperature and humidity of the interior chamber of a respirator without compromising the safety of the user or impeding the user""s ability to perform his or her duties.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system that incorporates a cooling/heating device directly in the respirator that serves to control the temperature of the interior chamber of a respirator.
It is a corresponding object of the present invention to provide a system incorporating a device directly in the respirator that reduces the humidity of the interior chamber of the respirator.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system incorporating a device directly in the respirator that reduces interior fogging or frosting of the face shield or goggles of the respirator.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a system that diverts and/or collects condensate and perspiration within a respirator.
It is yet another object of the present invention to develop a system for cooling and dehumidifying the interior chamber respirator which also assists in the cooling of the overall body of the user.
It is a corresponding object to the present invention to provide a system for raising the temperature of the interior chamber of a gas mask or respirator for use in environments involving cold conditions.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a system for circulating air within the interior chamber of the respirator to aid in the cooling of the face of the user and to reduce fogging of the face shield or goggles of the respirator.
The above and other objects of the present invention will be obvious in view of the following disclosure and accompanying drawings.
To accomplish these and other related objects of the present invention, a system for controlling the temperature and humidity of the interior chamber of a respirator is disclosed. In the preferred embodiment, the system includes a body configured to conform to the face of a user, thereby forming an interior chamber defined by the respirator body and the face of the user. The system includes a sight region in the upper portion of the body through which the user can see. A thermoelectric module having a first temperature plate and a second temperature plate is mounted in the lower portion of the body so that the first temperature plate contacts the interior chamber and the second temperature plate contacts the external environment. A power source provides DC current to the thermoelectric module causing a temperature differential between the first temperature plate and the second temperature plate. Preferably, the plates of the thermoelectric modules include heat exchangers and fans for maximizing the efficiency of the thermoelectric module. The power source includes means for reversing polarity to reverse the temperature differential of the thermoelectric module and controlling the current thereto.